CARBONDALE – Southern Illinois put together two big innings and pitching did the rest as the Salukis run-ruled Houston Christian 13-0 in seven innings Saturday afternoon to earn the weekend sweep.
With the Salukis leading 1-0 in heading into the third inning SIU would run Houston Christian starting pitcher Jett Feltman from the game after Steven Loden connected on a three-run home run – his team-leading seventh home run of the season. After a pitching change and two walks, Mathieu Vallee hit his first home run of the season – a three-run shot – to extend the SIU lead to 7-0.
Southern Illinois (10-5) continued to take advantage of HCU pitching throughout the game as the team drew eight walks. Three of the walks would come in the sixth inning when the Salukis tacked on six more runs all with two outs on the scoreboard.
Vallee came up with his second extra-base hit of the day with a two-run double before Nathan Bandy collected his third hit of the day with a bases-clearing double down the line in left.
SIU starter Al Holguin went five and a third innings in the win, improving to 1-1 on the season. The lefty struck out three while allowing his defense to work behind him. Shane Wilhelm and Ben Riffe closed out the final two innings for the bullpen to complete the shutout.
SIU outhit the Huskies 10-6 in the game. Bandy led the team with three hits and four RBIs. Vallee and Loden had two hits apiece for the Dawgs.
Feltman fell to 2-1 on the season after the loss. He allowed four runs in two innings on the mound.
UP NEXT
The Salukis travel to Lindenwood for a midweek game on Tuesday.
Team stats: Salukis vs. Huskies
Pitching: W: Al Holguin (1-1), L: Feltman, Jett (2-1)
Batting: 2B: Roper, Trevor 2
Base Running: CS: Hodge, Ty 1
Southern Illinois
Batting: 2B: Mathieu Vallee 1; Anthony Kodama 1; Nathan Bandy 1; HR: Steven Loden 1; Mathieu Vallee 1
RBI: Steven Loden 4; Mathieu Vallee 5; Nathan Bandy 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Jake Allgeyer 1; Bennett Eltoft 1; Jordan Bach 1; Steven Loden 2; Hesston Gray 3; Trey Cutchen 2; Mathieu Vallee 2; Tyler LeRoy 1
CS: Nathan Bandy 1
HBP: Jake Allgeyer 1; Bennett Eltoft 1
A 2014 Southern Illinois graduate, Tim McCaughan joined Saluki Athletics in August 2022 and is the primary contact for SIU basketball and baseball.
He spent the previous six years at Indiana State as assistant director of athletic communications serving as the primary sport contact for several Sycamore programs, most recently with Sycamore basketball, cross country, golf, spirit squad while also serving as a member of the ISU Hall of Fame committee. He spent five years working with the Sycamore baseball program -- promoting the team during a pair of NCAA postseason appearances, three years as the primary football contact while spending his first two years in Terre Haute working with ISU’s volleyball and women’s basketball programs.
He has promoted student-athletes and coaches to several postseason awards during his time at Indiana State, most notably linebacker Jonas Griffith, who earned six All-American honors during his career as well as Ryan Boyle who was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year. He also saw Sycamore head football coach Curt Mallory be named the MVFC Coach of the Year as well as a finalist for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson award, which honors the National Coach of the Year. McCaughan played a role in the first Academic All-American award for Indiana State baseball since 2009 when catcher Max Wright earned the honor following the 2019 season as well as promoting Geremy Guerrero to a program-record five All-American honors during the 2021 baseball season.
McCaughan covered a nationally ranked Sycamore baseball team in 2019 that picked up its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance after securing the No. 2 seed at the Nashville Regional following a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship -- the first in over 20 years for the program. After knocking off both McNeese and Ohio State, the Sycamores advanced to the regional final against No. 1 ranked Vanderbilt, falling to the eventual National Champion Commodores. He also promoted the MVC Newcomer of the Year in Collin Liberatore as well as the League’s Defensive Player of the Year in Jake Means.
